Waking Up Early – Exchanging Nights For Mornings

In a new effort to become more productive, waste less time, and prioritize, I have started going to bed early and waking up early. I have exchanged my night for the morning. It has been tremendously helpful for me so far.

Let me give you four reasons why I am now waking up early:

1. There is uninterrupted free time

Basically, parents of young children get two opportunities for free time: Morning and Night. I must choose one. There are different outcomes depending on my choice, which leads me to the next point…….

2. Mornings are more productive

We have a tradition of reading the kids every night and i’ll be honest, I am very tired by the time I am finished and often find myself dozing while reading. Perhaps I am merely reading myself to sleep. Once this is finished, I have to wind up again and attempt to be productive.

It has shown time and time again to be an act of futility.

On the other hand, mornings are a time I enjoy anyways. Thinking is sharp, the excitement of a new day dawns, and the coffee is hot. Weighing the two options, the choice is clear to me…..waking up early.

3. There is a biblical example of waking up early

There is no verse that says, “Thou shalt rise early,” but we do have a consistent biblical example. Here are a few:

4. I actually get more sleep

The (apparent) downside to waking up early, like 4 a.m., is the simple fact that it is early and no one really wants to do that, right? Really? Is this true or is this what our culture has convinced us?

I’ll let you decide that. However, being intentional about this causes me to actually plan my sleep and be proactive in how much of it I am getting. I count the hours and therefore get adequate and more consistent sleep.

It also allows me to successfully say, “I’ll deal with that tomorrow.” If you normally go to bed at 10 and get up at 6, simply shift the scheme back an hour to a 9 and 5, or better yet 8 and 4 (9 and 4 if you are young).

Conclusion

The Bible says life is but a vapor. Redeem the time. Make time to be productive. Many people are “night people,” or work odd hours, and this may not be for you. Yet for others this may be that very thing you need in your life.

Create a schedule and become intentional with what you are trying to accomplish. If you find yourself cloudy trying to work at night, swap it for the early morning.

What about you? Are you a morning person? Have you always been waking up early? Let’s discuss in the comments.